


Loki Is not a miracle worker!

by CumberRachel



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, De-Serumed Steve Rogers, Dom/sub Undertones, Fluff, Good Loki (Marvel), Loki shenanigans, M/M, Monster of the Week, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Smut, Some Humor, Some Plot, Steve doesn't communicate well, dunno how that got there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:54:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29315166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CumberRachel/pseuds/CumberRachel
Summary: “I’m sorry, you want me to use my magic on you to do what?”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 7
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I am posting another work while I have various other WIP please don't hate me. 
> 
> This fic is set a couple years after Age of Ultron but where Pietro doesn't die. My head canon is that Bucky showed up shortly after Ultron and got help. One of the requirements for him staying out of a cell was to give up his arm until the trigger words were out of his head. Hearing the problem, Shuri got in touch as she thought she could help. This is set way after and Tony built him a new arm and there's very little conflict and everyone is alive because fuck canon am I right?

It was a rainy early February afternoon in Avengers tower and Steve and Bucky were enjoying the peace and quiet on their floor. The sound of the rain against the window was peaceful for both of them, and they were high enough to not hear the sound of the traffic and people below. Bucky was stretched out on the sofa with a book in one hand, the other resting on Steve’s chest where he was sitting on the floor, sketching Alpine on his tablet.

Bucky couldn’t remember being so content. He was warm, not exhausted, not starving, he didn’t have a headache and he was completely in his own mind. Alpine was comfortable on his lap, sleeping peacefully. His book was mildly interesting, enough to keep him reading it but not enough to consume him. He could feel Steve breathing under his arm, regular, even and deep. It was reassuring not to hear a wheeze when he breathed, not to feel his skin burning against his. He could remember the fear that came every time Steve got ill, it was never something he got used to. No matter how many times Steve got better again, beat the odds and survived to another birthday, Bucky was always so scared for Steve the moment he caught a cold, or got a hint of a fever. This sort of weather would have made Steve sick, before. Cold and wet, the perfect combination for pneumonia.

Now distracted from his book, Bucky put the bookmark in place and let it fall flat on his chest, looking down and watching Steve. He was so much bigger than before. Bucky didn’t really appreciate anything other than ‘bigger’ when he first saw him in Azzano. Then when he had the chance, in their private tent, he spent a good few hours just looking and touching Steve, appreciating all that he had become. Unfortunately, Zola had already been frying his brain by then, and it was in the middle of a war, so he’d not really understood all the benefits.

It wasn’t until he had been free of Hydra for a year that it truly clicked, that Steve was healthy and huge. He was still remembering at that point; the true level of their relationship hadn’t been clear to him until he’d stalked up to Steve during a sparring match and kissed him hard. It hadn’t progressed anywhere that day, but later that night he dreamed of their true first kiss. Summer 1934, he’d been 17, Steve had just turned 16. Bucky had taken him to the roof for a picnic, high above the polluted air and away from people who might have been carrying god knows what germs. Steve had been sweet all day, letting Bucky give him gifts even though he normally hated the other man wasting his money.

They were watching the sunset when Steve got his attention, sitting right up close beside him to fight off the evening chill. The blonde idiot had cupped his cheek and ever so softly touched their lips together. Bucky had been so stunned he didn’t move right away, just flushed all the way to his hairline when Steve pulled back. By the look on Steve’s face though, Bucky had just ruined what had otherwise been an amazing day.

So, he’d just smiled, shook his head slightly and cupped the back of Steve’s head in his hand, it had been the perfect size back then. “We never do this in public,” he instructed seriously, before he leaned in to kiss him again, with more involvement on his part the second time around. It didn’t lead anywhere, then, but they were kissing until it got dark and Steve began to shiver. Then they continued to kiss some more in the apartment Bucky had surprised him with. It was a memory Bucky cherished above others, partly because he recovered it all on his own, but also because it was such a sweet and tender moment between them, and he got to enjoy it whenever he chose.

Back in the present, Bucky had begun gently stroking his fingers over Steve’s arm, absently playing with the hairs and marvelling at the technology Tony had created with Shuri. He could feel so much more now, could feel how each hair moved under the tips. He could feel pressure whenever Steve held his hand, could feel heat and cold, could feel how soft Alpine’s fur was, could feel the roughness of her tongue when she licked butter off them.

But right now, he was focussing on the goosebumps he’d encouraged on Steve’s arm. He could see the man shiver and pause his sketching, tilting his head slightly towards Bucky. “Book get boring?” he asked, and Bucky could hear the smile in his voice. He picked up the sketching again but was still paying attention to him.

“No… just got distracted, I guess….” He drawled, brushing all the hairs he could reach in the wrong direction, just because he could.

“Distracted hm?” Steve asked, coy. “That what you’re calling horny these days?” he joked, looking up at Bucky over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling with mirth. And gosh, his eyelashes were _so long_.

He rolled his eyes and huffed slightly, gently slapping Steve’s arm in admonishment. “Not horny, punk. I was just thinkin’ ‘bout us, from before…” he trailed off a little, feeling Steve grow tense under his arm. Sometimes he got anxious when Bucky started talking about their life before the war, he’d got it wrong before, things that hadn’t been memories but fantasies he thought were real. It often upset Steve no matter how much he tried to hide it.

“You’d have gotten sick in this weather, back then…” He recalled for Steve, “Either ‘flu or pneumonia, something that would have knocked you right out for at least a week. Made me think about when you were healthy. I realised that I never fully appreciated it when you were healthy, I was so focused on trying to keep you that way or preparing for the next time you got sick…” he moved his hand up to cup Steve’s jaw, rubbing a thumb against his stubble. “I never appreciated you the way you should have been, appreciated the size difference between us…” he grinned softly.

Bucky watched with delight as Steve’s cheeks grew pink. The other man put the tablet down and turned enough to rest his arms on the edge of the sofa, giving Bucky his full attention. “You were the _only_ person I would ever allow to pick me up.” He reminded him, his flush darkening. That drew Bucky’s attention, he couldn’t really remember picking Steve up at all, maybe once when he was sick and had collapsed in the bathroom? But other than that, he didn’t recall.

“Don’t go getting shy on me, doll, when did I pick you up?” he asked. There was a brief moment when he saw guilt and pain in Steve’s blue eyes, the blonde remembering that Bucky was still not fully back to who he was. He was able to brush it off fairly quickly, it seemed, as he took Bucky’s hand in his own, his fingers tracing the lines of the plates.

“Well… there were times… we would- you would- God I literally sucked you off last night it shouldn’t be this hard.” He chuckled self-depreciatingly, using Bucky’s arm to cool his cheeks down. “Basically, because you were worried about my asthma and stuff, and because you were so much bigger than me, we only ever had sex with me on top… sometimes we had it with you just lifting me. Especially after you started working at the docks, got buff…” He hadn’t met Bucky’s eyes once while talking. And Bucky found himself grinning uncontrollably, loving how he can go from being confident and teasing Bucky for over an hour, to this shy man who blushed at the mention of sex.

“So, I used to just… lift you and let gravity do the work?” he asked, his eyebrow raising. “The only one who you’d let lift you up… Which means you _enjoyed_ it.” He concluded, using his finger on Steve’s chin to tip his face up to look at him. “You realise I could still do that now, right?” he pointed out, taking great enjoyment in the way Steve’s pupils dilated.

“Mmh Hmm… That’s right Stevie, I could lift you just as easily now as I could then, wouldn’t even need the wall for support. Just your legs wrapped around my waist, my cock against your hole, just letting you slowly sit on it…” He lowered his voice, making it huskier for Steve. He used the finger on his chin to pull Steve up closer to him, nuzzling against his nose.

“Is that what you want, Stevie? You wanna be manhandled? I can do that for you, if you ask nicely…” he whispered, touching their lips so lightly it couldn’t really be considered a kiss. “One little word is all it takes.”

“Please…” Steve breathed; Bucky felt the movement more than heard it. Grinning, he sat up and gently lifted a disgruntled Alpine from his lap, standing and helping Steve up in the process. He pulled him towards the bedroom by his hand, closing the door after so Alpine wouldn’t follow them in and be creepily watching. He then pressed Steve against said door, crowding him and kissing each cheek ever so gently.

This close to him, Bucky could hear how heavily Steve was breathing, could feel him hard in his sweatpants. Could practically hear his heart beating as well, it was enough to tell Bucky he was doing a good job. He went back to kissing him just nice and easy and slow, easing Steve into something a little more comfortable. He tugged on his shirt until Steve got the message and moved enough for the other to remove it, shortly followed by his own. Then he pushed at the sweatpants until they fell to the floor and Steve kicked them to one side.

Now he was naked, Bucky was able to touch and tease as he liked, making Steve feel good all the ways he knew how. Once Steve was finally begging for more, Bucky lifted one of his legs and hooked it over his hip, then, with ease, lifted the other as well and secured his hands under Steve’s ass, rolling their hips together. He began to carry them to the bed, ready to move to the main event. With his height and this body, Steve was much taller than Bucky in this position, something he imagined was different when he was small. He gently lay the other man down on the bed, running one hand over his chest while the other began to reach for the lube.

And then the alarm went off calling for the Avengers.

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.” Bucky groaned, pushing up off Steve and noticing his erection was already beginning to flag. He gave him a final kiss before patting his chest and stepping away. “I’ll see you later, I’ll give you a massage when you’re back, go fight some evil.” He told him encouragingly, grinning at the expression on his face.

“One of these days it will be a job that requires everyone, you included, and then you’ll feel the frustration too.” Steve grumbled, going to the wardrobe and pressing his palm against a hidden panel in the wall to reveal his suit and shield.

“I mean, I’m feeling the same level of frustration here Steve.” He pointed out, gesturing to the bulge he was currently sporting in his own pants. Though he was softening more by the second.

“You can still jerk off, I gotta squash myself into the protective underwear.” Steve complained, forcing his legs into the bottom half of his suit, wincing a little as he does as such, fasting the buttons and buckles. He pulls on the under-shirt woven with vibranium and then the suit top, coming back over to Bucky so he could fasten it at the back.

“You know I still prefer the one with the booty shorts.” Bucky tells him, making sure the suit is secure so Steve would be fully protected by it. He moved his hands down to squeeze his ass, “have to admit it accentuated this very nicely…” he murmurs, jiggling the cheeks.

“There’s only a handful of things I actually would have preferred you didn’t recall, and the booty shorts are one of them.” Bucky heard Steve mutter, which just resulted in a spank. “Kidding! I’m kidding, mostly” Steve chuckled, turning back to him and taking his hand. “Come on, you can come to the briefing.” He said, tugging until Bucky until he stood and followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avenging is never as easy as it seems it's going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting because I'm impatient. From here on out Saturdays will be when I post. (Unless I'm on shift, then it might be a little later). 
> 
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Any errors please let me know, I don't have a beta reader. :)

“Okay, we have around 30 escaped experiments. Imagine Godzilla but the size of a child, still strong and bordering on rabid. They’re on Staten Island and so far, have shown an aversion to the water so hopefully the damage will be limited.” Maria explained the situation as she always did, emotionlessly and highlighting the most important parts of the mission.

Bucky was sitting in the back of the room on one of the sofas, passively listening in and trying not to laugh at the footage of tiny dinosaur looking creatures scaring civilians.

“Why exactly have we been called for this?” Stark asked bluntly, clearly miffed at the low-level threat being posed. He had a suit standing ready for him by the door. Bucky could understand his question, it did seem more like something local pest control could be dealing with. Which mean he and Steve could get back to doing _other_ things.

“Because of this.” Maria said, pressing some buttons on the tablet. The footage paused and zoomed in on one of the creatures, showing a small flashing light on the back of its neck. “Someone’s controlling them, we don’t know who or where they are. This was passed onto us as there’s a need for civilian protection as well as certain technology to find the source.” She looked pointedly at Stark until he rolled his eyes in acceptance.

With all the information, they could move to planning. Steve stood and manipulated the screen to show the map fully, with little flashing dots to show the spread of each creature. He was in full planning mode. Bucky could tell by the set of his shoulders and the way he was absorbing the information, figuring out the areas that were most in need of help. This was Steve in his element.

He turned back to the team after a couple of minutes, having a clear plan in his head. “Nat, Clint, Pietro: I want you on the perimeter, try and round these things up and get them to Latourette Park. I’ll be down there with you.” He started, pointing to the map. “Wanda, I want you to keep them there, however you decide to do that short of killing them. Unless strictly necessary.” He knew she was plenty capable of holding them until they figured out what to do with them.

“Sam, Vision, Tony, Thor. You’re arial support, some of them seem to be trying to climb, get them back on the floor or just carry them to the park, they really don’t look that capable of doing real damage, but we’ll assess when we’re down there. Tony, you’ll work with Vision, and Bruce back here, to try and find the source of control and cut it off. Agents will bring them in.” he handed out roles, making a clear plan of action. He looked over to Bucky at the back of the room. “And if you notice anything on surveillance we miss, patch yourself in and tell us.”

Bucky nodded; he’d be watching anyway so he might as well offer some assistance where he could. He stayed in his seat while the team moved to the sides of the room, unlocking their individual equipment stores and stocking up. It was always interesting to watch; the selection of arrows was apparently a very difficult process, as was the right hairstyle if you watched Thor for too long. Bruce had already left for the room opposite, where more equipment was available for the tracking he’d be doing.

Slowly, the room emptied as the team made their way to the jet, leaving Bucky alone with the individual feeds. One had news camera footage from a helicopter, another was showing the view from Iron Man, a third was rotating between the other avengers and the individual cameras in their uniform. Bucky moved himself off the sofa and closer to the screens so he could watch properly. He tapped the screen with the bodycam footage and isolated Steve’s needing to be able to see he was okay.

“Funny little things aren’t they.” The knife was at Loki’s neck before he even finished talking, not that he was phased by it at all. Bucky rolled his eyes and tucked the knife back in his sock, relaxing back into his chair.

“One of these days you’ll catch me at a bad time and end up with your throat cut.” Bucky warned him, glancing over at Loki and noticing his casual attire, a simple black button down and slacks. It wasn’t the first time they’d been in this situation; wasn’t even the first time they’d spent time together just for the hell of it. Loki was surprisingly good company for Bucky, they had a similar sense of humour and Loki never tip-toed around him.

That and his magic paired with Shuri’s genius had helped to remove the trigger words. Bucky was inclined to trust Loki on that basis alone.

“Why are you here?” he asked, not in the mood for whatever Loki wanted right now. He had a job to do, Steve had asked him to watch for anything they missed, he couldn’t be distracted.

“Contrary to popular belief, I do care about my brother.” Loki stated, acting it up and straightening his shirt in a false show of embarrassment. He looked over at Bucky, smiling slightly.

“Hm, if this weeks’ monster wasn’t a tiny fat dragon then I’d believe you were genuinely concerned about Thor, but it _is_ a tiny fat dragon or 30 so why are you here?” He asked again, already bored.

Loki rolled his eyes and let himself slump in the chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk. “Alright, fine. I just wanted to see what was going on. I have to say, I don’t really see the point in releasing them at this size, they can barely bite at your kneecaps. Unless this is as big as they can get them…” he pondered.

Bucky hated the fact, but Loki was right. They weren’t even doing any property damage, just aimlessly running around and scaring the public. They seemed fairly easy to wrangle, and Wanda wasn’t having any issues so far with containment. Things were running smoothly, a simple Avengers emergency that didn’t even require the whole team.

“If you know something, you should tell us…” Bucky said cautiously, trying to work out why he had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. It reminded him of when he first remembered Steve on the bridge, like things were about to take a huge shift sideways.

“I don’t, this time, but other than being a nuisance, what are they doing?” He asked, standing and looking at the other notes on the screen. “And we know there’s a high likelihood they’re being controlled by the little implant in their necks. So, their release was probably deliberate.” He continued, turning to look at Bucky. “What are the chances this was an accident, _really_?” He asked pointedly.

“Next to none.” Bucky stated, picking up an earpiece and patching in. “Hey Cap, we got a bad feeling about this.” He told him. Loki was flicking through each person’s bodycam and stopped on Wanda’s. From her vantage point, they could see the few confined mini-godzilla’s huddling together. The angle wasn’t very good, but they could both tell something was happening.

“We?” Steve asked, making Bucky internally wince with his mistake.

“Uh yeah, Loki’s watching with me. You think you could get Iron Man to fly near the trapped ones? We need a different vantage point. There might be something bigger going on, seems too simple.” He told him, watching as Iron Man went ahead and gave them an overhead view. From there, they could see how the tiny arms of each creature were slowly merging together, almost absorbing one another and growing in size.

“Oh Christ, they get bigger.” Tony said, firing down at them to see if it stopped the process. Instead, it just made them angrier.   
  
“So, the baby Godzilla becomes giant Godzilla.” Loki drawled, sitting back down again and using his magic to turn his chair into something more comfortable. And Bucky was momentarily distracted, seeing how easily he was able to alter the environment around him. He filed that thought away for later, deciding he needed to talk to the god of mischief.

“Alright, so it looks like they can meld together to become a bigger version.” Bucky told the team, “For ease of containment I’d say carry on with what you’re doing, let them meld and then take down the giant one.” He suggested. “Especially as you’ve managed to get most of them within Wanda’s containment field. They just need to find each other.” He told them, having a good vantage point to see all angles.

“Uh huh, and when there’s a 50-foot angry monster trying to kill us all?” Clint chimed in, making an unfortunately valid point. Bucky had to admit he hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

“We can keep it contained.” Steve said, “Then we can kill it before it does any real damage.” He added, and Bucky wondered when Steve became so… so… unforgiving. He shook it off, realising that whoever was in control of this thing had deliberately released it to cause chaos, maybe even harm to people.

Bucky turned his comms off briefly, looking to Loki. “Your magic would be able to handle that thing, right? Be able to kill it?” he asked.

“Probably, but they all have weapons and technology, why can’t they do it.” He complained, sprawled out on the chair like he had nothing better to do. It was frustrating how relaxed he was. Bucky sighed and kept his cool, this man lived to irritate people, it was easier to brush it off.   
  
“I meant in a humane way. It’s being controlled, it doesn’t deserve to be shot at until it dies.” He insisted, glaring at the Asgardian. He could see Loki weighing things up in his head, trying to figure out if he could be bothered to help, most likely. 

“Couldn’t your fascinating Scarlet Witch just snap its neck or something?” he responded, clearly bored with the concept and not wanting to be involved at all. Bucky rolled his eyes, sighed and decided it wasn’t worth his time to convince him to help. He turned his comms back on and sat down again, listening in to the plan Steve was forming.

In the end, the plan was to see if they could limit it becoming one giant monster, but three smaller ones. That way they could contain them easier and the damage they were capable of was limited. Unfortunately, Wanda was starting to become tired, and the medium-godzilla’s were able to push the boundaries of the containment. Luckily, now all the mini ones had been contained so the team were able to prevent any escaping. Between Vision’s beam, the repulsor blasts and Thor’s ability to yield lighting, they were able to kill the beasts.

One thing the team hadn’t accounted for, however, was the beast’s implants self-destructing. Every member of the team got covered in a pinkish orange goo from head to toe. The only person partially spared was Tony, due to the protection of the suit. But judging by some of the comments Bucky was able to pick out from the haze of chatter, goo was seeping through plates to his skin.

Bucky burst out laughing, he couldn’t help it, every screen was showing another avenger through each-others bodycam, their faces a mix of shock and disgust. He saw Clint turn and violently vomit over the grass, which only made him laugh more. “You know Steve, this was worth interrupting sex.” Bucky said through the comms, forgetting it was a public line and laughing harder when they all groaned at him and teased Steve.

He heard chuckling beside him, looking to Loki and finding Loki trying to hide his laughter in his hand, an attempt to maintain that aloof attitude. But Bucky could tell he enjoyed seeing his brother in such a situation as much as Bucky enjoyed seeing Steve.

“I hope none of you had anything exciting planned, the decontamination tent is being set up by the north gate.” Maria’s voice chimed in, having been watching from afar. “You know the drill, shower and a 3-hour quarantine period just in case of any weird side effects. We remembered to put pizzas inside before closing it off this time.” She told them, not that it improved the mood of the group any.

“I’ll see you when you get back, give you that massage I promised you.” Bucky told Steve, though he forgot the whole team could hear him.

“We all get one of those, Barnes?” Nat asked, making Bucky snort and shake his head. It had taken time but the team had gradually accepted Bucky into their ranks, at least in camaraderie if not on the field fully yet.

“If you steal me some of Thor’s special whisky then you can have _anything_ you want from me, Dorogaya.” Bucky drawled seductively. And then had to giggle because he couldn’t behave like that with Natasha anymore, it felt too much like playing.

“None of you are getting a massage from my boyfriend.” Steve stated, sounding mildly irritated. “See you later Buck, get off the comms.” He added, and Bucky could just see him smiling from one of the bodycams.

“Bye Stevie!” Bucky called, then pulled the earpiece from his ear and stood up, nudging Loki as he did. “Come on, let’s go somewhere more comfortable and drink until they’re allowed out.” He told the God of Mischief, giving him a mischievous grin before he turned and walked out of the room, heading for the communal floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky makes some discoveries and some mistakes

It had been a week since the mini-godzilla incident. He and Steve had been reliving situations from the 40’s that they used to enjoy. Particularly the sex but other things too. Things Bucky didn’t even remember they’d done, until they were doing it again. Bucky had been thinking about it non-stop for the last week.

“So, why are you here on Earth when you could be on any other planet that’s I’m sure is more interesting than this one.” Bucky asked Loki at their semi regular coffee meeting. They met up twice a month and gossiped and complained about the team. This time they were alone in the kitchen on the common floor, raiding the fridge and ending up with strawberries dipped in chocolate spread.

When Bucky had first come back to Steve, he’d still been a husk of a man. Broken and still a risk to the team but remembering things every day. Healing had taken a long time and there were rough patches along the way. One of which Loki had been present for. If it hadn’t been for his magic, then Bucky likely would have hurt a lot of people. It was an interesting bond they had formed.

Loki had then taken time to talk to him about what happened with the Chitauri invasion, and how Thanos had used the sceptre on him before giving it to him to be used on others. How he’d been used against his will to do someone else’s bidding. It had resonated with Bucky for obvious reasons and a friendship had been born.

Well. That and all the alcohol Loki got for him, it seemed to be fairly easy for both Thor and Loki to travel between Earth and Asgard. Something they both utilised, but Bucky was still confused as to why Loki spent so much time on a planet where people still generally didn’t accept him.

“Your population is a lot more… liberal, than those on Asgard. They’re more open to experimentation.” Loki told him eventually, licking a dollop of chocolate off the strawberry he was holding. He’d held Bucky’s gaze the whole time and let out a salacious moan as he bit into the strawberry.

Bucky had to grin; it was typical. Despite knowing Bucky was with Steve and not particularly open to adding a third. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable to watch. “You’re here to have sex with humans?” He checked, shaking his head in disbelief as Loki nodded. “Surprisingly not a terrible reason. I’d probably do the same if was you.” He admitted with a shrug.

“On a _slightly_ different topic, I have a proposition for you. Sort of, more of a vague question of your abilities, I guess.” Bucky began, leaning closer conspirationally. He’d seen his magic in action and knew it was capable of many things. He was interested in its capabilities and its limits.

Loki paused with a strawberry halfway to his mouth, closing his mouth and raising his brow at Bucky. He looked concerned, which honestly Bucky could understand. Tony had told him he got a look on his face whenever he got excited about science and technology. This was just an advanced version of science, according to both Thor and Loki.

“Go on…?” Loki prompted; the frown deepening ad Bucky’s grin got wider.

“So, you can shapeshift, right? Or at least alter your appearance to others, even if it doesn’t change underneath?” He asked, trying not to sound too eager.

Loki shifted in his seat, clearly contemplating how to answer it succinctly and in a way Bucky would understand. “I can, yes. It’s sometimes actual shape-shifting not just altering my outward appearance. I can shapeshift into a woman and while in that form I can conceive as a woman would.” He explains, giving a wave of his hand to demonstrate.

Bucky watches in awe as a yellowish green glow works its way from the crown of Loki’s head, gradually traversing down his body and changing his form from masculine to feminine. Somethings stayed the same, his hair and eye colour, his cheekbones, none of that changed. But his face became more feminine, his hair lengthened to his waist. Of which had narrowed deliciously, a gorgeous hourglass figure revealing itself, with long legs finishing with chunky green Doc Martin boots. Bucky swallowed heavily as he took it all in, finding a stirring inside him.

He loved Steve with all his heart, he truly did. But he was only a man and Loki knew what he was doing with this, he was smirking in such a smug way it was clear to Bucky this was a deliberate act of teasing. He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs, trying not to stare at the parts of Loki that were incredibly sexy.

  
“Hmm… many a man has been slain whilst distracted by my beauty….” Loki declared, his voice was mostly the same, a little higher and huskier, but deep sounding for it to come out of a woman, Bucky thought. He groaned a little when he looked back up and noticed Loki had created an incredibly sexy matt black dagger and was twirling it in his fingers. He was completely transfixed, watching as he brought the dagger to his mouth and pressed his tongue to the very tip, making a drop of blood well and Bucky gasp.

“You need to change back, please.” Because Bucky didn’t need to be reminded that he had certain kinks he knew Steve wasn’t be keen on indulging. He sighed in relief as Loki revealed his usual façade, the change happening much quicker this time. It was one hell of a trick, and he could see how people would be easily fooled.

“I can, however, also project an appearance into peoples’ minds that I want only them to see. Rather than everyone.” And to demonstrate, Bucky watched as Loki’s whole body changed shape to become Steve right in front of him, he got it slightly wrong though, the eyes were just a bit too far apart and his hair was too golden. He grinned at this, clearly this artform wasn’t as practiced as the other one.

“And unfortunately, as you can hear, does not extend past simple visual trickery.” Loki’s voice came out of Steve’s mouth and Bucky was both impressed and perturbed. It was very jarring even though he knew Steve wasn’t actually in front of him.

“Can you do it to other people?” he asked curiously, taking in every inch of the illusion to try and pick holes in it. Other than the general inaccuracies, which was likely due to Loki’s own perception of Steve, it was a very good copy. If Bucky had just seen him out in the street, he wouldn’t have noticed a difference.

“Which one, actually changing someone’s form or just a projection. The second is fairly simple as its manipulating one person or a group of individuals. I could make a crowd see everyone else as me, if I wanted to.” He boasted, smirking. “The other is a little harder, but I can do it.” He added, “not sure when or why I’d need to, though.”

Bucky had been listening, really, but he was just so fascinated with what he could see. It looked so real even if it didn’t sound real. He reached forward slowly, giving Loki time to withdraw if he felt the need, and cupped a hand around the back of his neck.

He was able to feel but not see the length of Loki’s hair against his fingers, and as he ran them through the soft locks, he notices a vague blurriness to his vision, like his brain was trying to piece together what he could feel and what he could see, and it didn’t add up. He laughed a little, slightly hysterically really, but so impressed with what to Loki was probably something very minor and required very little energy.

He was still leaning probably too close with his fingers in Loki’s hair when Steve walked in from his gym session with Sam. They both stopped dead in their tracts, conversation ceasing as they took in the view in front of them. Sam was slowly starting to grin, recognising he’d caught the pair in something compromising. Steve, on the other hand, was agape and wide eyed.

Bucky licked his lips and coughed slightly, seemingly unable to even move. “Uh, just so I know the situation I’m in, who can you see in front of me?” he asked, wincing at the way he sounded so unsure of himself. He then caught a glimpse of Loki-Steve and the sadistic evil smile gave everything away. He withdrew quickly, feeling a sick joy when some of Loki’s hair was pulled out, making the Æsir wince and turn back to himself for Bucky’s eyes as well as the others.

He plucked them free and let them drift to the floor before he stood and made his way over to Steve. “Sweetheart, I was asking him what his powers could do.” He explained, “He’d made me think he looked like you, it was just so weird to see you but feel Loki.” He admitted, smiling a little and silently thanking whatever higher being was in charge that they hadn’t arrived when Loki had been a woman. The dagger was still sitting on the table taunting him.

“Riiight…” Steve hesitated, looking between Loki and Bucky, trying to see if he could determine if Bucky was telling the truth. Bucky just sighed and rolled his eyes, taking Steve’s hand and dragging him to the elevator, glaring at the others until the doors closed. Once alone and on their way to their floor, Bucky turned to Steve and gave him a slightly frustrated look.

“You really think…” He took a step closer, “that I would cheat….” pushing himself into Steve’s space, “with _Loki._ ” He crowded him until he was backed up against the wall, “when I have you in my life?” he pressed both forearms against the wall either side of Steve’s head. They were pressed together, and Bucky could smell the fresh sweat coming from Steve, and it was doing the opposite of putting him off.

Steve gulped, “N-no…” he was shaking his head minutely and Bucky felt his hands reach out to grip his hips and pull them closer together. “Was a bit odd to walk into, though, seeing you playing with Loki’s hair.” He pointed out with a little teasing grin.

“Oh, what, you’d rather I’d play with yours?” To demonstrate his point, Bucky used his flesh hand to brush through his still sweat damp hair, gripping and tipping his head back with a sharp tug.

Steve gasped and grinned, sliding one leg forwards until it was slotted between Bucky’s and encouraging him to roll his hips where he had hold of them. Bucky had to supress a grunt of pleasure. He let Steve guide him but kept a hold of his hair, an odd balancing act between them, a push and pull of power. His favourite kind of sex between them.

“-so you just gotta oh my GOD!” Tony shouted, disturbing the pair. And twice in 20 minutes Bucky had been startled, he must be losing his touch.

Tony had been talking with Peter, showing him something in the arm of the gauntlet. Said gauntlet was now covering his eyes in an attempt to hide what had just happened from the youngest avenger. He tried to pull away from Steve, to make it look like there was a reasonable distance between them, but Steve held on tight, refusing to let him move. When Bucky looked back, he realised why. Steve was in running pants and his situation was very obvious.

“You didn’t push the button?” he asked, frowning.

“What do you mean did I press the button, you dragged me in here I thought you pressed the button.” He hissed in a rush, his eyes wide and begging for a way out.

Tony simply glared at both of them, keeping his hand over Peter’s eyes despite the fact the kid was practically and adult. “FRIDAY!”

The door closed again, and the lift began rising to the correct floor this time, but unfortunately for Bucky the mood was gone. He pulled away from Steve and stood awkwardly by his side, facing the door. “So, Loki can change himself into a woman…” he tells Steve after a few awkward seconds.

“A woman?”

“Yup, can conceive and everything.”

“A _woman_?”

“Yes, Steve, a woman, keep up. He can also create knives out of thin air, very nice knives. I might have to bribe him into creating some better ones for me…”

Steve twisted to look at Bucky with a slightly concerned frown, “Sh-should I actually be worried?”

“What?! No, of course not. I love you, dumbass. These are just so boring.” He responds whilst simultaneously pulling a knife from his boot, a simple black plastic handle and silver shiny blade. Without feeling the weight of it, it almost looked like a good prop. “He made a matte black one, Steve. Matt. Black.” He punctuated his point with the knife, which in hindsight might not have made the situation any better.

“Yeah, alright, quit waving that at me. I know you and Natasha have your weird knife fetish, but I don’t share it. We agreed.” He reminded him, storming out of the elevator in a huff once it reached their floor, making his way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

Bucky, who’s therapist told him not to let bad things linger and who also didn’t know when to leave well enough alone, followed close on his heels, tucking the knife back in its sheath as he walked with one slightly awkward hop. “Hey, Steve, wait. Come on… I’m sorry!” He called, but he wasn’t quick enough. The bathroom door was shut in his face and he heard the lock click shut.

Shit, that meant Steve really was mad.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone following this, sorry I'm a day late, I was on shift!
> 
> Theres a brief mention of knife kink in this chapter, but it's not gonna appear as an actual kink in this fic (I don't think) and is only a mention.

“Just because you’re balls deep in me right now doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you.” Steve panted, rocking himself in Bucky’s lap.

Bucky had figured as much, as until now there had been no communication between them. At all. Steve had showered then shut himself in his study for the rest of the day. He’d come out and made himself lunch, ignoring Bucky in the process. Same thing with dinner. Each time he’d given no outward signs that he wasn’t okay, just refused to respond to any of Bucky’s questions.

It was frustrating for him, because he wasn’t even fully sure what his mistakes were. The thing with the knife had been a genuine accident, he hadn’t meant it in a kinky way, and he was fairly certain Steve understood that too. Had it been that he was spending time with Loki? 

Doubtful, Bucky had had many meetings with Loki that Steve hadn’t cared about, he’d actively encouraged it, saying it was good he was making friends and trusting other people other than himself.

“Would really love to know why you’re mad at me, Doll.” Bucky grunted, flexing his fingers where they gripped Steve’s thighs.

Bucky had been watching TV with Alpine in their living room when Steve finally emerged, his hands and arms dotted with patches of paint. Steve usually only painted when he needed to clear his mind, Bucky somehow managed to really fuck up and not have a single clue as to how.

Steve turned the TV off, stalked over to where Bucky was sprawled on the sofa and climbed on his lap. One hand came up to carefully curl his fingers around Bucky’s neck. Alpine had immediately sensed the tension in the air and vacated, choosing to snooze in the box that his fancy bed had been delivered in.

_He’s brave_ , Bucky thought. His own breathing picked up with a mix of anxiety and anticipation, he took a moment to truly judge how he felt about the situation, trying to understand Steve’s motives. He looked up, seeing how he was gritting his teeth, seeing the fire in his eyes.

Steve was angry with him.

After weighing up the chance that this would really backfire, Bucky had bared his throat and pushed it up into Steve’s hand at the same time, silently letting him know he was okay with it, that he wanted it. He felt the fingers tighten until there was noticeable pressure on his windpipe. Steve wouldn’t go any tighter, he never did no matter his mood.

“Hands on my thighs.” Steve ordered. Bucky was powerless, the only person he ever allowed to give him orders, he’d follow every letter of Steve’s law. His hands gripped hold of Steve’s giant thighs and his arms locked in place, he wouldn’t be moving them from their position until Steve told him to.

That had been the first and last thing Steve said for 40 minutes. He’d spent five working Bucky over, pulling him from his pants and jerking him off until he was hard, then spending the next 15 getting him close multiple times and then relenting. It had been infuriating.

Two minutes were spent with Steve awkwardly stretching himself with only one hand, his non-dominant hand at that, and lube Bucky hadn’t realised was in Steve’s pocket. The next 18 were rough and hard fucking, all with Steve in control. He was taking his own pleasure first, had rocked and thrusted for a fair while before he eventually took himself in hand and came not seconds later. All silent, though very powerful if the way he shuddered was anything to go by.

It was then he’d dropped chest to chest, his hand still around Bucky’s throat, pressure unchanged throughout it all, and growled those words at him.

“I’m mad because…” Steve faltered for the first time, frowning and squeezing minutely harder. He shook his head, then began fucking himself on Bucky’s dick again, changing the angle to make it more pleasurable for Bucky, an end goal in mind.

It was rapidly approaching, he had to admit, he’d been close for a while now and Steve’s attention was solely on his pleasure. He was just at the crest when Steve spoke up again. “I’m mad because you were _so_ interested in Loki’s magic and abilities and the fact that he can conjure knives that maybe its him or _her_ you wanna be fucking right now instead of me.”

Bucky had started to come the second before Steve began talking, which was unfortunate on so many levels. Once the words registered his orgasm was ruined, the possibility of any afterglow was ruined, and Bucky was left feeling unsatisfied.

On the flipside, Bucky had just shot inside Steve while the man was talking about him fucking someone else. It hadn’t been under Bucky’s control, he’d been too far gone, but it would likely warp things in the assholes head. Maybe if Bucky hadn’t been so desperate for attention from Steve, if he’d said no to this particular method of dealing with things, they wouldn’t be here now. But he was only human.

Bucky waited until Steve pulled his hand away from Bucky’s neck before he removed his own hands. He didn’t let the blonde go far though, catching both hands in his and shaking his head properly. He could already see the realisation dawning on Steve and he had to stop the spiral before it could even start.

“ _Don’t_ get up. We’re gonna go have a bath.” He told him, leaving no room for argument. He pulled Steve forward until his hands were on his shoulders. He secured his own hands on Steve’s ass and in a swift but slightly awkward move, stood them up. He stumbled slightly with the headrush but kept Steve secure, he wouldn’t let him fall now.

Once he’d regained his balance, he walked them through to their shared bathroom, where FRIDAY had already begun filling the tub with steaming warm water. Bucky also reached into the shower to turn it on, knowing they ought to at least rinse off if they were going to enjoy the bath. Bucky slowly pulled out of Steve, hearing the other whimper a little. He helped him undress, keeping one hand on him at all times even while he stripped himself off.

See the thing was Steve didn’t do this often. They weren’t always vanilla and when they weren’t Bucky usually took the position of control. It had been natural for them: Bucky spent 70 years with no control, Steve always had to remain in control professionally. It was a relief for them to switch in the bedroom.

However, sometimes Steve felt the need to _feel_ like he was in control, sometimes when other aspects of his life felt less in control. Bucky suspects that’s what had happened today. Except normally, when they’d do a scene with Steve in charge, they negotiated beforehand and Steve always made sure Bucky was okay with whatever the plan was.

That hadn’t happened this time and Steve was suffering because of it.

Bucky might also suffer, later on, that was the unknown variable. But for now, he was able to take it in his stride. He trusted Steve not to hurt him and he hadn’t, not really. He couldn’t say he _enjoyed_ the experience, that would have been a whole other level of fucked up. But he was stable enough to help Steve.

“Come on, your turn…” He’d already stepped in and out of the shower within 30 seconds, running a soapy hand over his body and getting the worst off before stepping out and encouraging Steve. The blonde was slower but still efficient in his cleaning, and he was out after a couple of minutes, clearly waiting for help on what to do next.

Bucky sighed softly, his impulsive boyfriend never thought things through when he was emotional. “Come on, let’s just relax for a bit, then we can talk.” He told him, taking his hand and helping him into the bath, sitting them both down with Steve between his legs. He felt his own muscles relax instantly in the hot water. Steve seemed to as well, judging by how he melted into Bucky’s chest.

They were quiet for a while, just soaking in the water and taking the time to settle. Bucky was running his hands over Steve’s skin, nothing sexual just soothing. He wasn’t sure how long had passed before he decided to start talking.

“You had lube in your pocket.” He murmured, “you planned it, to some extent.”

The water sloshed slightly as Steve shifted. He was silent for almost too long; Bucky was about to push for a response when he finally spoke up. “I didn’t plan _that_ , exactly.”

“What did you plan?” He asked, because what he wanted to say something else but knew it wouldn’t help and he wasn’t intending to be an asshole.

“I don’t know, honestly. Something similar? I think. Just not…. Choking you.” It sounded like it choked Steve to even say the word.

Bucky sighed and pulled Steve tighter to him, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Steve, you know what I do and don’t like. And you know that I could have easily stopped you if I was any way not consenting to it. If you disregard everything else I say, you have to remember that. I consented, Steve.”

He felt the other man nod against his chest. And Bucky knew he accepted it. There’d been a few times where he’d got lost in whatever they were doing and had ended up physically stopping Steve halfway through a scene.

“I know you did; I do. Promise.” He insisted, then turned slowly in the tub so he was facing Bucky. He nearly spoke multiple times, before sighing and hiding his face in Bucky’s neck.

“You wanted to punish me… right?” Bucky guessed. “Because we may have both come but I wouldn’t say we particularly had fun.”

“No, you’re right. I think I did want to punish you. I can’t really explain why though. I don’t fully get it. I was mad about you and Loki, then you started talking about knives and I just….” Steve groaned and tried to turn away from Bucky again, clearly working himself up, just as he was prone to do.

Bucky pushed them both into a sitting position, “Steve, look at me, please.” He waited patiently until Steve forced himself to look up at him. “I was talking to Loki about his magic. I got curious and we haven’t talked about it before.” He explained. He had to make Steve understand.

Steve’s eyes dropped and he visibly hunched his shoulders, preparing for a fight, “Yeah, I get that, but then you were talking about him being a woman, and Jesus Buck the knives-”

“Hey!” Bucky reached and gripped Steve’s jaw, making him look at Bucky again. “How many times do I have to say ‘til the end of the line’ before you get that I’m with you for life?” He demanded. “And I though we sorted the knife thing months ago. I know you’re not interests in knives. When I was talking about them it was purely aesthetic, I wasn’t saying it was sexy because I want to play with them in the bedroom. I way saying it because it was a sexy fucking knife. That’s all. And it was really impressive how he just created one out of thin air!” He emphasised.

It was unfortunate, Steve didn’t share his delight in Sci-Fi. So, Bucky knew he wouldn’t fully understand why he found it so fascinating, he just had to accept it and Bucky could see why that would be hard in this situation.

“Alright, so explain to me why you had your hand in his hair?” Steve asked, dropping the knife issue and hopefully feeling reassured about it.

“He was showing me what he could do, he can alter his actual body, his cells, and change them. Which is when he became a woman. But he can also just make people think he’s different. So, he was making me think I could see you.” He told Steve, laying them back under the warm water. “It was so weird, I could feel his hair, but I couldn’t see it, it didn’t match. And that’s when you walked in, it looked bad I know but I can promise you, there is nothing you need to be jealous about.”

Steve’s arms crossed and a small pout appeared on his lips, “m’not jealous.” He grumbled, lying straight to Bucky’s face.   
  
“Uh huh, whatever you say, Doll…” he looked down for a moment, then reached to take Steve’s hands. “Look, can we at least agree to never use sex like that again, please? If you still wanna punish me then we can negotiate, you can edge me for hours if you really wanna. But not like that again…”

Steve nodded, his eyes going red as they filled with tears. “M’sorry, Buck. It was wrong, should’a talked to you.”

Bucky felt his heart break a little, Steve only ever cried when he was feeling really guilty or sad. Bucky didn’t want either of those. He gathered his boy in his arms and held him close, murmuring soft words of reassurance until he cried it out. He hated to see it, but he knew that this was a good thing, this was Steve’s way of getting through it. The catharsis of it always made him feel better in the long run.

After a while the crying stopped, and the water began to cool. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been in there; all Stark tubs had the ability to maintain the water temperature. So this, in essence, was FRIDAY’s way of telling them to get out. He pushed a slightly lax Steve off his chest and kiss him. “Come on, let's go to bed and leave this behind us, hm?” he suggested.

Steve nodded sleepily and let Bucky guide him again, finding it was far easier to do that than bother thinking about it himself.

Within 20 minutes, they were dried, teeth brushed and collapsing into bed, cuddled close and content as they drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve begins to make amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry again for being late on this one, I was on shift again and was exhausted. Theres more Loki shenanigans coming if you're here for that :D

“I’m sorry, you want me to use my magic on you to do what?”

Steve hated how red his face was right now, was cursing the grin that was slowly emerging on Loki’s face and kicked himself for doing this face to face. He and Loki had never gotten on as well as Loki had with others. Except maybe Clint. Though Steve didn’t really understand why, he’d made every effort to try and be friendly with him, but there was always a barrier.

“Bucky said you could turn yourself into a woman, change your cells. I want you to do that to me.” He clarified, “Not the woman bit! Just the changing bit. I want you to make me smaller, like I was before the serum”

“Smaller. Right.” Loki looked perplexed. He sat up from where he had been lounging on one of the sunbeds on one of the balconies. He looked over Steve with calculating eyes, making him feel like he was being assessed for something. Lord knew what.

It was three days after Steve and Bucky’s sort of fight. Things had been good, normal-ish. There was still something between them that didn’t sit quite right. And Steve still felt like a jackass. He wanted to fix things. He’d been thinking about what Bucky said a while back, about how he could carry Steve like he used to.

Which he had proved, multiple times over the last 10 days, actually. But it hadn’t been the same as he remembered, he was still too big. And while fun, he suspected Bucky felt the same way. So here he was, bothering Loki and asking for his help.

“Yes, Bucky said you could do that.” And even if he couldn’t, Steve wasn’t leaving the demi-god alone until he helped him find a way to achieve what he wanted.

“I can try, but I don’t think I will be able to make it last while I’m not physically there, so it really does depend on what your intentions are.” Loki told him.

Christ, Steve was blushing again, he clenched his fists and shifted on the spot. Sighing, he shook his head and sat down on the lounger opposite. “Right, okay. That’s not really an option, so do you think you could figure out a way to do it where you don’t have to be within a hundred feet of us?” He pushed through the embarrassment, and how he had practically announced his jealousy.

Loki smirked flicked his fingers and watched with equanimity as Steve became too small for his clothes. “This is what you meant, right? Smaller and minus the many ailments that still could kill you.”

Steve gripped his t-shit when he felt it slipping, then looked down at his hands, arms and legs. He was slowly becoming tiny, really tiny. God, he forgot just how small he used to be. “Little less bony, maybe…” he murmured after a moment of looking at his hands. He could see each knuckle protruding, the bones of his wrist sharp and angular. He had a hunch that if he looked under his shirt he could probably count his ribs.

“So demanding…” Loki grumbled, flicking his wrist. Steve gasped as a glow started at his fingertips and his hands and arms filled out just a little as it travelled up his arm and down his body. He was starting to see how Bucky was so enthralled with this.

“So, I can maintain this until I tire out, which will take a fairly long time.” Loki told Steve, “From experience, I do have to be within a certain radius. And unless I can see you there’s always the chance of the alteration shifting and warping so you look like a bad caricature of yourself.” Loki told him, making Steve freeze as though him even moving could damage his appearance.

Loki’s fingers flicked again, and Steve filled out his clothing once more, back to how he usually was. Oddly, he found it uncomfortable to be in such tight clothes after being swamped by them. “Okay, yes that’s exactly what I want. Is there any way you can make that happen while being far, _far_ , away?”

“Yes, yes, I get it, you feel threatened by my presence around your Bucky Barnes. You don’t need to worry; my eyes are no longer cast towards humas. Too short a lifespan.” He insisted, bored already of the passive aggressive behaviour. “If you piss off now and don’t bother me until I come and find you, I will see what I can create” he offered.

Steve rolled his eyes and nodded, “Alright, fine. Deal. Bucky is gonna come ask you about knives at some point, if you could make them less sleek and appealing to my boyfriend that’d be real appreciated.” He said as he walked back into the tower and to the gym to work off his frustration.

It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that Steve heard from Loki. Honestly, he was starting to think he wasn’t going to hear from him at all, then the guy showed up at the gym during his morning session on March 9th. Quite literally, in fact.

There was no warning, no change of the air around him. One second Steve was running at a fair rate on the treadmill and the next Loki was right in front of him. His footing faltered and Steve went flying. He was left winded and frustrated, flat on the floor a couple of metres away from the treadmill.

“You better have a good reason for this.” He grumbled from the floor, turning his head to glare at the dark-haired asshole.

“I have what you asked for, I need to test that it works. I somehow managed to have fun creating it so if it doesn’t work then I don’t mind tweaking it.” Loki was holding out a very delicate looking necklace. It was golden and shimmering in the rising sun.

He pushed himself to his feet and stepped closer, reaching out. “What… It’s gorgeous, how does it work?” He asked, able to feel the magic coming off it in waves. It felt like static, goosebumps rising on his arms.

Loki bypassed Steve’s boundaries and draped the necklace around Steve’s neck. Steve cried out in pain as the necklace fused into his skin. It was a burning like acid on him, making him pry at it until one of the links lifted and he could rip it off. He pressed his fingers to his collar and winced, the skin was tender and felt almost blistered.

“What the _fuck_ , Loki? Is it supposed to do that?!” he snarled, noticing a lack of remorse on his face.

“No. No that’s not how it’s supposed to work.” Loki says, picking up the necklace from where it was thrown. “Maybe I imbued too much magic in it, or perhaps you’re allergic to Asgardian metals…” he considered. Steve didn’t particularly care what the problem was, he was just glad it hadn’t been deliberate.

Loki fiddled with a few specific links of the necklace, muttering under his breath in a language Steve didn’t even think was from earth. He touched one of the wounds on his neck again to check it was healing, finding it to still be a little sore but no longer blistered. They’d be gone within the hour.

“Here, try it again, just on your hand.” Loki thrust the necklace back at him. It wasn’t as impressive now, less shiny and enticing. He was cautious to touch it, but after no initial problems he gripped hold of it and waited.

“Nothing’s happening.”

“Yes, I took the magic out of it, it’s not supposed to be doing anything, that’s the point.”

“I thought the point was to make me smaller again.” Steve grit his teeth as he felt the beginnings of another burn on his hand. It wasn’t as intense this time, thankfully. But he’d rather he wasn’t burned at all.

“Well, that’s an easy enough problem to solve. Here, let me.” Loki took the necklace back and also Steve’s hand, looking over the palm and tracing the shapes with his fingers, healing the skin.

“You know I heal in like, hours, right? You don’t need to heal me.”

“I am aware but seeing as this is both my fault and something I can fix; I want to help. I’m just relieved it wasn’t the magic you were reacting to.” Loki’s voice had gone oddly soft, his expression a mix of concentration and remorse.

Steve was struck with the knowledge for the first time that Loki was a lot more complex than he ever realised. He wanted to maintain an air of indifference, keep himself above emotions and caring about the people he was surrounded with. But the way he was with Bucky, and the way he was helping Steve now, proved otherwise.

“There, all healed.”

“Thanks. And thanks for trying with that too…” He said awkwardly, gesturing to the necklace that was now draped elegantly around his neck.

“No problem. It’s just a first attempt. I suspect the magic heightened the reaction you had to the metal. Which is interesting that you’re supposed to have this serum to prevent it and yet, it didn’t extend to Asgardian products. I’d be interested in running some tests if you’d be willing. Did you have allergies to metals before you were enhanced?” He asked turning Steve’s hand over to make sure he got all the tiny burns.

“Uh, yeah. I think so. I always had a mild reaction to Ma’s jewellery.” Oh fuck. His cheeks began to heat. “Which I didn’t wear. Only touched when I had to sell it when I was too poor to afford my medications.” He rambled, pulling back and laughing nervously. Loki gave him a knowing smirk and tilted his head. Steve just blushed harder and made his way to the door. “Buh-bye now, let me know when you have a second attempt!” He called as the door closed behind him.

* * *

The next time Steve is cornered by Loki is when he’s halfway through a lap in the tower’s swimming pool 4 days later. He noticed him sitting with his trouser legs rolled up and his feet dangling in the water at the other end of the pool. It was bizarre to say the least. Taking a deep breath, Steve swam entirely underwater the rest of the length and popped up beside Loki’s legs.

“I was under the impression you hated water.”

“I hate _cold_ water.” Steve clarified, pushing his wet hair back off his face.

“Understandable I suppose. I have the second attempt.” It materialised on Loki’s finger as he spoke. Shimmering like before but made out of a silver metal this time. Steve reached with caution, not wanting any adverse reactions while he was in water.

“It’s earth platinum this time so any reactions would be from the magic not the metal.” Loki informed him.

“Platinum? I really hope you didn’t steal this…”

“I was on earth when banks were invented, Captain. I’ve been investing money before your _grandparents_ were born. I’m probably richer than Stark at this point.”

“Right, so I put this on, and I’ll shrink down. That’s the intention, right?”

“Yes. Though we never got the chance to test the magic last time so it might not work the way you want it to.”

Steve nodded and accepted the necklace, holding like he had last time to see if it was going to harm him. When nothing itched, burned or exploded, he put it around his neck, let it settle on his collar bones. Like the last one it slightly fused to his skin, but he had no immediate need to remove it this time.

Nothing happened. Not even a glow like when Loki directly used his magic. “Hm, might be a delayed action, or gradual. Keep swimming, I’ll hover here for a while and just wait for something to happen.” Loki suggested.

Steve had nothing to lose so nodded and began swimming laps again. It wasn’t long before Steve felt a tightness in his chest. A tightness he hadn’t felt since before the serum. He hadn’t even been working that hard and yet here he was out of breath. He stopped swimming in the centre of the pool and looked down. He was still the same size; this didn’t make any sense.

He could hear himself start to wheeze as he struggled to breath, and then he started hyperventilating because he was panicking about the resurgence of his asthma. He looked over to Loki with fearful, desperate eyes. His vision was blurry from the pool water or tears, he didn’t know. But he was too far from the edge of the pool and he couldn’t _breathe **.**_

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think?


End file.
